Q-TIP SIGNS TO KANYE WEST’S G.O.O.D. MUSIC/DEF JAM RECORDINGS – ALBUM DUE EARLY 2013

Universally regarded as one of the greatest figures in hip-hop history, New York City’s own Q-Tip becomes the newest addition to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam Recordings, announced today by Barry Weiss, Chairman & CEO of Universal Republic and Island Def Jam. Details on the fourth solo album by Grammy Award®-winner Q-Tip, tentatively titled THE LAST ZULU, will be announced in the months ahead.

“I am thrilled to be working with Q-Tip once again,” said Mr. Weiss, who helmed the artist’s releases on Jive Records in the 1990s as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. “He is a respected voice in the music community as shown by his acclaimed solo albums and countless contributions to the work of other artists. His creativity continues to surpass all boundaries of hip-hop, R&B, pop, and jazz. We welcome Q-Tip to the G.O.O.D. Music / Island Def Jam family.”

“I’m excited to be a part of the great iconic Def Jam label,” said Q-Tip. “I’m humbled to be a part of such a storied history. To reconnect with Barry Weiss is a great thing. As far as G.O.O.D. Music, I’m excited to solidify my working relationship with Kanye, and I look forward to all the opportunities that lie ahead in our partnership. I will do my best to present the most cutting edge music I can.”

Q-Tip has been credited as a producer on Kanye West’s revered “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” as well as West’s much-anticipated 2011 collaboration with Jay-Z, “Watch the Throne.” Q-Tip has been in the studio working with Rico Love, Marsha Ambrosius, Kendrick Lamar, and Fiona Apple. He also produced songs on the just-released fourth solo album by bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding.

Q-Tip along with former co-members of hip-hop collective A Tribe Called Quest produced and was heavily involved with the documentary, “Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest,” released in July 2011. Viewers were able to revisit the group’s rise to prominence and glimpse the start of Q-Tip’s solo career. Fans are eagerly awaiting the next chapter of the Q-Tip story leading up to the 2013 release of THE LAST ZULU.